The Angel From My Nightmare
by EloraCooper4
Summary: Collins wakes up from a nightmare and Angel tries to comfort him. Fluffy!


Note: This was kinda a fic that popped into my head one day. Or more like I had the dream…and this was an attempt to calm myself down. It doesn't have much of a plot, but I just wanted to go back to my favorite couple in the world and show how loving they are. Also this is influenced by the song "I Miss You" by Blink 182.

Collins' eyes snapped open. With an acknowledgement of his surroundings, he sat up in bed and pressed his back against the wall. His first impulse was to turn the lamp on and fill the room with light. But Angel's presence on the other side of the bed steadied him. Her chest peacefully rose and fell with no sense of disturbance. Collins closed his eyes in order to steady his breathing. The images left behind, however, made him reopen his eyes. His whole body shook with the memory of the dream. Although he couldn't pinpoint where or even when it took place the simple images kept him off guard. A tiny casket covered in newly grown weeds. Power lines and tubing on the ground of a large dark tunnel. No fresh air, no nature beside the weeds. It was all sealed off. Collins shook his head, it was stupid. It really was. There was no connection between his dream and his real life. It was just a dream. But that truth didn't help. Collins' body shivered the pounding heat.

"Musta…closed the window." He whispered to himself. With further investigation his theory was confirmed. Carefully, he opened the window and let the slight May breeze slip through the crack. Then he winced with the memory of why he closed the window in the first place. A group of drunks were singing show tunes horribly off key.

Their current rendition of "Wouldn't it be Loverly" was turning into an all out screaming match. A screaming match that finally woke Angel up.

She grumbled to herself barely opening her eyes and flipped her body to sleep on her opposite side. Then her hand reached out to find Collins beside her but she only found an empty space, and remnants of sweat. Not the pure love making sweat either, but the perspiration of nightmares. Warning signals went off in her head. Collins always had vicious nightmares, sometimes he even had night terror in which he would be completely frozen in fear. Angel would always have to shake him awake like one would a little boy. Then she would hold him in her arms and convince him everything was all right.

"Baby?" She called out sitting up in bed, "Where are you?"

Collins slowly closed the window cutting off his air supply. Sensing his movement Angel slipped out of bed and hugged him from behind. His body twitched at her touch but then relaxed against her. Angel lent her head on Collins' back feeling the warmth of his skin.

"Bad dream?" She whispered to him. Collins simply nodded. Angel's hands ran up his arms, "It's ok baby it wasn't real. Just your overactive imagination having a field day. You're too smart for your own good."

"Yeah, I know." He responded quietly. Angel moved around to face him noticing for the first time how little clothing Collins had on. Just his boxers. Angel had on a full tank top and heavy sweat pants, if anything…she felt a little cold. "Sorry I woke you." Collins mumbled.

Angel shook her head, "It wasn't you. It was the Audrey wannabes. Come back to bed, lover." She guided him back like a child, her arms around his. Collins paused as Angel pressed the back of her hand to his forehead.

Collins always had horrible nightmares, but this one seemed to have a motive.

"You're burnin up, baby. Be right back." Angel whispered kissing his forehead to confirm that his skin was as hot it seemed.

"You're coming back right?" Collins asked sitting on the bed but not daring to lie down. Not yet.

Angel watched his silhouette in the dark. "Of course." She said calmly, "I'm just getting you a wash cloth." Quickly she grabbed small towel and ran cold water through it. After ringing it out she came back into the room to see Collins lying down in bed. There seemed to be an extra weight in his body. Something pushing him down farther into the mattress. Angel sat down next to him and placed a wet washcloth, gently, onto his forehead.

"There that should help." She kissed his cheek, "Don't worry Thomas. I'm never going to leave you." Angel cupped Collins' face and stroked his skin with her thumb. Her lover closed his eyes feeling such comfort from only her hand.

"Promise?" He asked with a whisper. His heavy eye lids closing under the pressure of the heat.

"Promise." Angel threw a blanket over his body but then pulled it off when Collins mumbled an incoherent sound of protest. "Do…do you want a drink, baby?" She asked him quietly, her voice beginning to waver. In all of her days with Collins, she never dreamed that she would live to see Collins sick. It just didn't make sense to her. Why would someone who could pick up over a hundred pounds without breaking a sweat succumb to the same disease that was in her measly body? She knew that she would die first. But here was her Collins. And that strong man, who never hinted at the disease that was in his blood stream, was getting sick.

"Yeah…yeah that would be good. Kinda dry," Collins said his eyes still closed tightly.

Angel nodded and tried not to run towards the bathroom. There was no need to. Those moments when Collins was alone…he would be fine. Angel turned on the faucet and stared at the glass as the water filled it. What should she do? Call an ambulance? Was that too extreme? Maybe it was just something small…maybe it was the beginning of the end. Angel turned off the faucet and her thoughts, rushing back to Collins' side.

"Here, Collins," She whispered. Collins reached out for the glass and drank the liquid slowly. "Better?"

Collins nodded slowly closing his eyes again. "Yeah. Thanks. You…you can go to sleep now. I shouldn't have bothered you. Opened the window. I'm just…"

"I know," Angel said picking up the washcloth to refold it and return it to Collins' forehead. "I know. And I'm not going to sleep until you're snoring, Mr. Collins. I'm putting my foot down. It's you that I'm worried about…not my beauty sleep." A smile spread across Collins' face. That was what she had hoped to accomplish. "Just sleep baby, ok?" She lay down next to him and kissed his cheek. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Love you," Collins whispered as his conscience faded.

Angel kissed his chapped lips. "I love you, too. Now go to sleep."

"But what if I have a nightmare?" He asked his eyes snapping open. "I…I don't wanna sleep, Angel. Not if I have to face that-"

"Shhh," Angel replied putting her hand on his tense shoulder. "I'm your Angel right? Then call on me when you need me. In this life, the next, in your dreams. And I'll fight the demons away." Collins reached out to cup Angel's face. She titled her head and nuzzled his hand. "Go to sleep, Tom. And I'll save you."

Collins' hand slowly fell to his side, falling into an immediate deep sleep. His lover kept her distance, but stayed awake for the rest of the night. It wasn't the drunks singing outside. Or the cold that was creating goose bumps on her skin. It was Collins. If he were to wake up, Angel wanted to be there to catch him...

"Professor…Professor," A young girl whimpered. Collins turned around to see Nina. One of his students. She was dressed in a white dress and grasping her arms to her chest. Goosebumps were visible on her arms as she started to shiver.

"Professor…it's too cold," Another voice said. This time it was Carl. A student he hadn't had in years. He, too, was dressed in all white and shivering.

Collins looked around his surroundings. A sewer. Large cords thicker than the width of two cars were their only cover. Their only way to hide.

"Professor…we need to go!" Nina cried rushing to him. Just then Collins noticed the iris' of her eyes were pitch black. The color spread through the rest of her eye as if it was growing.

"I…I can't I don't know…I don't know what's going on," Collins admitted in a whimper.

Collins jumped at the sound of Combat boots splashing the water behind them. "See! They're coming! We have to go. We have to!" Nina grabbed his hand and dug her fingernails into his skin. But he couldn't let out a scream. He was too frightened. The look in Carl's eyes told him to be afraid. Tears rolled down the stoic boy's face.

"But I didn't do anything wrong."

Lights infiltrated the once pitch black area. The darkness was something Collins didn't notice from the beginning. Only when he lost it did he realize. "I…I don't know…what should we….Angel!"

He snapped his head around as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise immediately. There she was. Just like she promised. Angel held out her arm. "Come with me…" She called out then turning to run down the tunnel. Collins looked back to nod to his students who followed their professor and his lover. But when he looked back again, they were gone. Only the lights signifying that the combat boots. And they were coming closer.

"Collins," Angel whispered taking his hand. "Don't be afraid…"

He looked up to see her beautiful face. But it was no longer there. Collins was no longer there. The tunnels of darkness and moisture had been replaced with a dense forest. Sunbeams were seeping through the large red wood trees. Collins winced at the newfound light and turned away. There he saw her again.

Angel. Laying on a bed of moss and sleeping soundly. "Come to bed lover," She whispered even though she was asleep.

Collins turned around and saw a smiling face that he couldn't exactly place. Letting the face go, he slowly walked towards the bed of moss and lay down. Angel's eyes opened slowly to reveal his deep brown were replaced by a deep purple. "I love you," He said with only his eyes.

"I love you."...

Angel sighed and turned over to look at the sunbeams seeping through the shades. It was morning. And Collins hadn't woken up since his nightmare. Everything seemed to be ok. But she wouldn't know for sure until Collins was awake.

"Hey…" Collins whispered shifting himself as he shook off his slumber.

"Hey," Angel replied looking back at him with a smile. "I was hoping that you would wake up soon. Not that I didn't want you to sleep well…" She put her the back of her hand on his forehead. A deep smile spread across her face. "You feel ok? You're cooler now."

"I feel fine," Collins admitted, pulling himself up from the bed so he could sit up.

Angel kissed his check. "Any more dreams?"

"Yeah…but only one," Her lover said quietly, "One nightmare. But an angel came to save me again."

"That's my job," Angel pointed out, her smile growing. "And it always will be." She kissed his cool forehead. "Forever."


End file.
